Well Jess, as I am growing older and dumber, I am more concerned about where my former smartness is going. :)

When it comes to mass and energy, we have E = m, right (*), but energy can take different forms... for example on a sunny day you will feel the light from the sun warming up. fotons have no mass, but still have energy. So in the energy sum, you need to add radiation.

As long as the Universe expand, the energy density go down, but it don't disappear, unless you can design a device which is capable of consuming energy.

Aronian is just 27, turning 28. But for the other part I agree with you, although things are luckily not just as straight forward as you portray them to be.

But along the main lines they are.

Seems like the stars point at a rather long reign by Mr. Carlsen, if I have to go out on a limb; and I hope a true rivalry will form between him and Karjakin, So, Giri on the one side, and Aronian and of course Anand and Co (Krammy, Chucky, Grish) remain dangerous, regardless of the way the cycle is organized.

I however *am* a little sceptical regarding the chances of a Chinese Super GM becoming WC, but I may be flatly wrong about that.

I think at 15 he became the youngest Dutch Champion since Jan Timman, I think, and he was at a sports show last Monday, and the kid is outrageously bright, articulate, multilingual and his disposition, his character have a wonderfully striking freshness about them.

If he manages to get top notch training and coaching, alongside his school activities for now, and "stays at chess," with the same joy and commitment as he is now, he will get to the very top within five (5) years.

Hang on, here is the direct answer from "the management" - right below my post here: chessgames.com chessforum

But if Guru's games STILL aren't in the Dbase it is bloody outrageous, heh.

So they rely quite heavily on < The Week in Chess > - or indeed on requests like mine, to provide them with good download links.

Yes if you can't find that in Holland I don't know where you'd go.

Well besides Russia or any of the <incomprehensible prefix>-istans.

Here is how much sponsorship and guidance is available in Canada:

That will not suffice.

Both of them were at the top for a decade and very, very close to beating either of the <two Ks>.

Right now, <Nigel> has just finished round two in his Match with <GM Steve Erkel>- a flashy win with Black for our hero

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eA6...

Absolutely no dishonor in not being able to beat <Kar-Kasparov> in a Match, though.

But really- might be time for "our turn" again.

No disrespect either to our current (non Russian) World Champion, <GM Viswanathan Banana>, who may be the "nicest guy" ever to wear the crown.

Finally, you know that the first two rounds of the <Kasparov-Karpov> Rapid Match have already been played?

Why isn't this on the front page???

Actually it might be on the front page already. I haven't looked there for two years.

???????????????

<Kingscruffer>, however, has just uploaded his take on the first two games a few minutes ago-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Qcy...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0brF...

<Garry 2 Anatoli 0>

nope.

<Kevin Spragget> was the last Canadian since <Duncan Suttles> to be worthy of note in comparison to the rest of the world.

And even then...

We only have 35 million people in our country as well.

I would say you are right that it would be impossible to enjoy chess, or any activity for that matter, by pinning the enjoyment on some short or long term improvement.

Surely the enjoyment should always be present in the moment.

But I think that there always needs to be some hope of improvement as well, along with the immediate enjoyment of a game.

I don't think I could enjoy chess without at least entertaining a small fantasy of improvement at some later date anyway.

I totally agree it is best seen as recreation rather than work tho, but then even recreational activities require some work.

Unless your idea of recreation is something like just getting completely stoned or drunk I suppose -lol-

But the curious thing is I quite enjoy studying chess now I have done it for a bit. As long as I take it in small steps I can have as much fun as with playing.

The steps do have to be small tho, otherwise I get that same cavernous soul destroying void opening up right beneath my enthusiasm that consumed so many school subjects.

French Language classes, Geography,... the list goes on, they haven't stopped falling yet.

One thing I can say for certain is that I did not like to see Karpov going 0-2 down so easily yesterday.

But I thought Kasparov's knock out f4! and Nf6! punches were just beautiful, especially for rapid games :-)

Did you get the opportunity to see the games live? I hope you did, I enjoyed the games much more that way.

regards

- I am preparing for a few guys from the housing society here "coming over" to "take care o bidness"...

Sounds very exciting, but I'd rather play over those KK games, though I did look at the closing positions... Absolutely riveting sight!

Amaaazing....

This is a cracker: A Giri vs Nijboer, 2009

Still have to analyse it myself, but the execution of this very strong GM Nijboer is very impressive.

<ontocaustic: i can't belief krapov win>

ROFL

<ontocaustic> heh

hHAHAHAHAAH

That guy is the funniest kibbutzer in the whole herd.

I was very sobered to see your losses- but please don't give up hope.

And yes I understand your feelings about chess play/study.

Of course we all want to play better- in a moment, and in the future.

And the funny thing is that chess is recreation, but you need to work to get better.

But if you love working, then you may enjoy the "hard stuff" (like going over your losses with an engine)...

But you know my favorite quote about chess is

"Where a gnat may drink, or an elephant may bathe."

It's all up to us. We may enjoy a "sip" from the tiny chess puddle-

Or, if we <want> to, we can wallow in the great murky depths of the giant lake of chess, which can hold many elephants, we are told.

I love everything about chess except losing a game.

That's enough impetus for me to continue studying and hoping I still have some "upside."

Everybody's going back in the same box eventually though- the king and the pawn.

SIX FEET UNDER.

Here he dismisses of a certain M. Carlsen:

<ontocaustic: carlsen is good but has nothing like the innate strategic ability of kamsky, it is unfortunate that kasparov made the choice to train him, we all know that he won't put in the work required to succeed in chess.>